There’s so much more to Istanbul, Türkiye than the places you’ll find on a postcard! To really get to know this incredible city, you have to wander beyond its famous landmarks and explore the neighborhoods, local flavors and unique experiences it has to offer. Over the course of four days, I discovered Istanbul using Uber, learning more about its vibrant culture and fascinating history off of the usual tourist trail.
Here’s a look at what my itinerary was like!
Day 1: Arrival at Istanbul Airport (IST)
Being the #avgeek that I am, I flew into Istanbul Airport (IST) from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), with my favourite airline, flydubai. Arriving in the afternoon on FZ 727, I was greeted by the airport’s Meet and Greet Assist Service, to ensure a smooth journey through passport control and immigration.
Uber recently introduced their Uber Taxi pickup at Istanbul Airport, where passengers can request a taxi through the Uber app and follow the in-app directions to a designated pickup point. This made catching a ride to my hotel completely seamless.
I checked into the beautiful Çırağan Palace Kempinski right on the Bosphorus and met the others who I was joining on this trip for dinner at Gazebo. Located in the hotel, the restaurant was inspired by the magnificent Ottoman Gardens and offered an array of different cuisines for every palette. After indulging in some mixed grills, I headed to bed early to get ready for the next few days of activity!
Day 2: Turkish TV, the Bosphorus and a taste of local Istanbul
The morning started with a light breakfast and a quick briefing before heading towards Bebek. Our first stop was Kızılcık Şerbeti Mansion, a filming location from the popular Turkish series Kızılcık Şerbeti. Here, we learned about how significant the show is to locals and how the art used in the series reflects traditional Turkish culture. A truly unique experience!
We continued to Kuruçeşme before taking a boat around the Bosphorus towards Kandilli, where we settled at Lacivert for lunch. Renowned for its classic Mediterranean dishes, the views it offered of the Bosphorus were incredible.
Experiencing Istanbul from the sea comes highly recommended. We got a completely different perspective of the city, with palaces, waterfront homes, restaurants and hotels lining the shore. Fun fact, the Bosphorus separates the European side of Türkiye from the Asian side, as the country is transcontinental.
After lunch, we headed by Uber to Kuzguncuk, one of the city’s old neighborhoods. Wandering through its colourful streets felt very different from the busier areas of central Istanbul that I’ve experienced before.
Then came one of the highlights! A hands-on Turkish food workshop at Refika’s Kitchen, where we learned to make “Manti”, a Turkish-style dumpling. It was great to learn more about local cuisines, especially while getting to chat with the superstar chef herself, Refika Birgül, over a video call!
We ended the day with some more local snacks while watching the sunset over the city skyline, but what I really appreciated was not having to worry too much about the logistics of getting around the city. We requested a taxi through Uber as we moved from one experience to the next, which made our itinerary feel much more manageable. The trip included different taxi options, including Yellow Taxi and Black Taxi, as well as the option to Reserve a ride when planning ahead.
Day 3: Discovering Istanbul’s hidden gems
Day 3 started with a traditional Turkish breakfast at Van Kahvaltı Evi before heading out on a Hidden Gems of Istanbul Tour with a private guide. This was another highlight of the trip because it gave us the opportunity to see parts of the city that we probably wouldn’t have discovered on our own, including the Eresin Hotel and Nakkas.
We then made our way to the Grand Bazaar, the world’s largest and oldest shopping mall. Here, we did a bit shopping and learned how to haggle. Pro tip, start by cutting the original price you’re given in half, and go up (or down) from there!
My favourite part of this trip was walking on the Grand Bazaar’s iconic red-tiled rooftops where the famous motorcycle chase scene from the James Bond film Skyfall was filmed. Yes, this is a popular landmark, but it was also a unique experience that not everyone has access to!
After having lunch at Havuzlu, where we indulged in some Turkish-Ottoman specialities, we did some more shopping before heading back to the hotel. Our itinerary was quite extensive, so we used some of our free time to rest before dinner.
In the evening, we dined at BİZ İstanbul. Located in Atatürk Cultural Centre, this Michelin star restaurant keeps the culinary habits of Istanbul’s cuisine alive.
Day 4 & 5: Çırağan Palace Kempinski and Rooftop Galanta
I enjoyed my time in Istanbul so much that I extended my stay and took advantage of what the Çırağan Palace Kempinski had to offer. A swim and lunch by the pool was exactly what I needed after exploring the city, followed by a Hammam treatment at the luxury spa, and a hair treatment at their beauty salon.
Making the most of the pleasant summer sun, I went for a walk around the neighbourhood to grab some local street food and ended up trying Kumru. Originating from İzmir, this famous warm sandwich uses a special sesame-encrusted bun filled with melted Kaşar cheese, spicy Turkish sucuk (sausage), salami, and tomatoes. Yum!
With still lots of free time before my flight home, I couldn’t resist giving the viral flying dress photoshoot a try too! Transported by Uber to Rooftop Galanta, I purchased a package that included 4 photoshoot locations and 3 different dresses, as well as 15 edited photos and 3 reels (for a total of €320). The final edits were delivered within 10 days of the shoot. It was definitely one of the more unique ways to end my time in Istanbul, and a pretty fun addition to the itinerary!
iGA Airport Pass experience
After several days of exploring and eating my way around the city, I once again turned to Uber to get me to Istanbul Airport.
Having access to the iGA Pass Plus made my airport experience even more seamless. I was able to use the iGA Fast Track lane through security and passport control, and spent sometime in the iGA Lounge before using the iGA buggy service to take me to my gate. If you’ve never been to Istanbul Airport, it’s HUGE and this pass helped get me to where I needed to be.
Living like a local
Istanbul, Türkiye is so much more than famous landmarks. While the city has incredible attractions that are absolutely worth seeing, the best memories from this trip came from simply walking through the different neighborhoods, tasting local food and seeing how people live their everyday lives here.
I also admired how easy it was to get around. Having taxis available through Uber meant that transportation fit around my plans rather than becoming another thing to organize.
The four days I spent in the city definitely wasn’t enough, but it was a pretty great introduction to living like a local.
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Disclaimer: My posts are my personal views and do not represent the views of my company.